(qlmbusinessnews.com Wed, 6th Sept, 2023) London, UK —
The airline industry is demanding compensation in the aftermath of the flight chaos experienced over the August bank holiday weekend. The UK's air traffic control system suffered a “one in 15 million” event, as described by the air traffic control boss. Consequently, numerous flights were either delayed or canceled, incurring substantial costs for airlines who had to provide lodging and additional flights for affected passengers.
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Tim Alderslade, the CEO of Airlines UK, stated, “Airlines cannot be the insurer of last resort” and called for accountability from Nats, the company responsible for the UK's air traffic services. Airlines UK is in discussions with the government regarding options for compensation.
The industry group represents major airlines like British Airways, EasyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, Virgin Atlantic, and Tui. Johan Lundgren, CEO of EasyJet, expressed that “many questions are still left unanswered” following Nats' initial report on the system failure.
Nats' initial report explained that the system failure was triggered when it detected two markers along a flight route with the same name, even though they were in different locations. To ensure safety, the system automatically ceased operation, and the backup system followed suit. Engineers took several hours to resolve the issue, which had never occurred in the five years the software had been operational, processing over 15 million flight plans.
Nats has implemented measures to prevent such incidents from recurring. The UK's aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has also initiated an independent review expected to report its findings in a few months. The CAA stated that it could take action if Nats breached “statutory and licensing obligations.”
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The disruption over the bank holiday left many travelers stranded, with airlines working to clear the backlog by adding extra flights. While safety was not compromised, questions remain about how one flight plan could lead to such extensive disruption.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper expressed satisfaction with the confirmation that safety was not compromised and noted that the independent review would investigate further steps to enhance the air traffic control system's resilience.
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